The river press., 1887-04-06


not daring to cry out lest the nutineers
should come back and kill me. Their
plan seemed clear to me. They undoubt-
edly intended to secure the diamonds, and,
leaving the ship to her fate, to make for
Bermuda in the open boats. Occasion
ally I would hear some sailor enter the
forecastle for something and then go out
again. | could not hear the pumps going,
and / had no doubt that the vessel was
filing fast. I lay quietly in my bunk
until daylight began to show itself
through the chinks in my door and win
dow. Just then heard several more
shots fired. This made me think that
the captain and the mates had succeeded
in barricading themselves in the cabin,
and were still holding out. A few hours
passed without my hearing any more
sounds. Then all of sudden it seemed
to me as il the ship was sinking. THE
| mutineers,' / thought, have killed the
officers and have left in the boats, leav-
ing me to go down with the ship
sprang to the door and shook it violently
several times, but it remained fast. For
| few seconds | was out Of my head with
| terror and | yelled like a mailman.
| Then threw myself on the deck.
GA moment later I heard some one
unfasten my door. I opened it and
sprang out on deck. Aft I saw the cap
tain, with his large oilskin coat on, di-
recting the men, who were getting ready
| to launch the two boats. The ship was
fast sinking and the decks now lay al
most at the waters edge.
/" WED forgotten all about you, said
the sailor who had unlocked my door.
81 went aft and took a hand in launch
ing the boats. AS did SO heard the
captain say:
N'Remember, men, that we must stick
by our agreement. You are to do your
best and the mates and / are to say
nothing about the mutiny. Quick, the
ship is sinking and we'll be swamped with
herr
''In moment the boats were over the
side. We were about to get into them
when Mike said to the captain:
"tAin't VIC going to have some Of them
smuggled diamonds for helping you to get
them ashore, captain?
"rI have no diamonds, replied the cap
tain. Now that it's all over / don't
mind telling you that there really is a
dead body in that box. I tried to put you
fellows off by saying that it contained dia-
monds and silks
"'We'll make sure Of that, captain
said Mike, who started toward the cabin
door with Tony
''The captain drew his revolver and
pointed it at Mike, who stopped. So did
Tony.
"'That box contains the body of my
sister. 1t must not be touched. If you
want to live get into, the boatr cried the
captain.
s'Mike, followed by Tony, climbed down
into the smaller of the two boats. Then
six of the men, the steward, and the two
mates tumbled into the larger boat. The
captain was about to follow, when the
boat pushed off from the side. Then the
captain told INC and the only remaining
sailor to get into the smaller boat, into
which he followed us. We had just
pushed away when the bark gave n plunge
forward, keeled over to one side, and
sank. We narrowly escaped being
swamped by the sinking Of the vessel. We
could see the land about twenty miles to
leeward noticed thatsthe captain didn't
seem pleased at being in the smaller boat
along with Mike and Tony. I thought
that he was going to hail the big boat and
have the mate change places with him;
but when I looked around I saw that the
other boat was making rapidly for the
land and was fast getting beyond halling
distance. Ipulled the stroke oar and just
behind me was Tony, who was next TO
Mike The captain urged them to pull
hard in order to keep as near as possible
to the big boat, but the two chaps took it
easy and in an hour the other boat was
out of sight could hear Tony and Mike
whispering to each other in low tones, but
I could not make out what they said.
The captain in steering the boat moved
rather stiffly, as if his clothes didn't set
casy on him. [ got the idea that he must
have something slowed away about him.
had no doubt that the box had contained
damon Is and that he had them about
him. After we had been about three
hours in the boat Tony jumped up and,
pointing astern OF the boat, cried. "Look
thcre!''
1.-The captain turned around to look and
Tony sprang over me. l saw the blade OF
a stiletto flashing in his hand. Quick as a
flash grappled him, and we both fell in the
bottom of the boat. Mike jumped toward
u.s. but before he could do anything the
captain had got the stiletto out Of Tony's
hand. Then he covered Tony with his
pistol and made him crawl back to his
place behind me. The captain kept his
pistol out and made the two mutineers row
hard for several hours We were getting
i'm close to the land when Il coasting
schooner came along and picked us up.
The captain said nothing about the mu-
tiny Late in the afternoon the schooner
landed us in Bermuda, where we found the
crew of the other boat The captain re-
ported the loss Of the bark to the Ameri-
can consul, but said nothing about the
mutiny. Nearly all of the crew shipped
on vessels then in port. The consul gave
me passage on a steamer that sailed for
New York few days afterward! The
captain came to see me off, and handed me
an order for $500 on his New York agents.
at first told him that couldn't take pay
for helping him to smuggle diamonds, but
he said that there was no law against his
taking diamonds from England and land
ing them in an English colony, and that
probably he would dispose of his diamonds
before coming to America again. That
ovcrcame my scruples. With my 5000 [
started here in the junk line in small
way That, gentlemen, is the way |
started i'm business New York Times